


Spring is just around the corner

by shuuzo



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Established Relationship, Eventual Fluff, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, also also yes mao mao is trans gary i dont make the rules, also yeah this might be filled with headcanons jekfjekfe, i needed an excuse to practice my nsfw, it gets steamy, mao mao used to date tanya but he was just as awkward then JEKFJKEF, they got together five months prior to this fic so they're still very new to relationship stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:55:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26306692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shuuzo/pseuds/shuuzo
Summary: Spring has come to Pure Heart Valley, and Sheriff Mao Mao has helped bring a seasonal festival into fruition. However, the arrival of spring has brought with it an all too familiar feeling that our feline hero would rather ignore, for he deems it unnecessary to become a legend. Also Badgerclops is very confused.
Relationships: Badgerclops/Mao Mao Mao
Comments: 13
Kudos: 68





	1. Petals raining on your parade

Spring was warmly being welcomed in Pure Heart Valley.

Like one would expect from the joyful citizens, they used any chance they got to organize festivals, to throw parties, to celebrate. So it was expected that they would welcome Spring with open arms and eager hearts. It was the most cherished season, after all. Who didn’t relish in the warmth, the smell of youth in the air, the general sense of new life it brought with it?

The sheriff took in a deep breath, letting those sensations settle in, and then exhaled. He was standing in the heart of the festival, watching proudly over the scene as hundreds of Pure Heart villagers ran around the place and enjoyed themselves.

He could spot Badgerclops eyeing the food stands on one side, and on the other there was Adorabat, flying excitedly across the place and even though everything was already neatly decorated, the child seemed to be having a lot of fun putting up streamers everywhere they deemed fit.

He had helped bring the concept of a seasonal festival into fruition and after much work, and clearly a lot of having to deal with minimal disputes between residents and even an invasion from the sky pirates, which ended in their ship being destroyed, again, everything ended up looking exactly as he had pictured in his mind when the King suggested he helped.

Normally he wouldn’t dare to show himself so genuinely... happy, over something? Especially not something that would seem so frivolous for someone like Mao Mao, and especially not in such a public setting, but he wasn’t sure if it was the fresh Spring air, or the sense of satisfaction watching a product of his effort paying off produced on him, or maybe a mix of both, but he just found himself unconsciously smiling throughout the whole ordeal.

Everything seemed to be playing in his favor and he had the right to be proud about something, damn it.

“Hey… _HEY_ , Pinky! Stop trying to steal Chubbum’s sweets and go play somewhere else!” He yelled as he noticed the little guy going on about his schemes the moment he began to wander through the sweets stands. “I’ll arrest you, Pinky! I’m warning you!” Growling, he clenched his fist and shot a wild glare at the sweetiepie, who decided it was time to run away. The sheriff let out a huff through his nose and then smiled.

Despite the change in seasons, and the general change of scenery thanks to the beautiful decorations that everyone helped put up, life in Pure Heart Valley seemed to be the same for everyone.

However, for a while now, the hero had been feeling unsettled…

With the arrival of spring, came an overwhelming wave of discomfort, embracing every inch of his body like a slow, but strong parasite.

He usually didn’t dwell on such things for long and would’ve rather ignored it, but the feeling had been shaking him from inside out and it had begun not too long ago.

He was feeling it now, now that he took his time to breathe and just stare proudly at his newest success, now that he had emptied his mind and this discomfort had time to settle in instead of the pleasant feeling he was feeling three seconds earlier.

Anytime he’d space out, that was the only thing occupying his brain, and it frustrated him. Having something else that wasn’t the thought of all the heroic acts he could be carrying out at that very moment to become a legend clouding his judgement wasn’t something that Sheriff Mao Mao was too comfortable with.

Something was particular about this feeling, however, because Mao Mao seemed to be familiar with it.

Instead of panicking or staying still in surprise, he had to pinch the bridge of his nose to try and contain his frustration, as he began pacing back and forth on the spot. If he had a tail, he would have been waving it from side to side.

It was almost like an itch he couldn’t scratch, or the feeling previous to sneezing, except the sneeze never comes out, where his body was accustomed to it, it didn’t reject it entirely, but it still felt out of place and it was just… very uncomfortable to deal with.

Mao Mao was stubborn, and seemed to need further explanation for why it had settled in his body with so much unexpected force, though. Clearly this wasn’t any old regular itch, nor a shiver, nor the need to sneeze. What if it was something bad?

His first guess was that the Sky Pirates had dozed him with some strange concoction they’d probably invented to try and throw him off the game, but he was so strong and his body was so incredibly resistant to pirate schemes, that it had automatically built up a way of withstanding the effects of the potion, and this odd feeling was just the left-over effects that he couldn’t completely avoid.

The thought alone made him smirk and laugh to himself. His bodily defenses were just as smart and sly as their rightful host. Of course they would automatically find a way to resist pirate threats, he always managed to find new ways to become stronger, didn’t he?

He decided to try and take his mind off of it, at least for the time being, and try to have a good time. He flinched ever so slightly when he heard King Snugglemagne yelling at one of the villagers for accidentally stepping on his cape, keeping his eyes on him just to witness him going back to appreciating his figure in one of the many vases resting atop one of the stands. It made him laugh to himself. Everyone else was enjoying the results of the festival they’d put together, so for once, he wanted to join in.

He was sure it would do wonders for his reputation!

The stubborn, scary sheriff, joining the cheerful citizens of Pure Heart Valley on their first ever Spring Welcoming Festival, and being the friendliest and funnest he could ever be. Well, maybe being friendly didn’t sound very tempting, but a well-deserved break did.

As Mao Mao started to make his way across the streets, eyeing some of the stands every now and then because his second guess was that he was being overcome with a beastly hunger (because who knew? Maybe the side-effects of being happy for once came with a strange need for nutrition), he began feeling gentle vibrations against his feet, which managed to take him off his daze for the briefest moment.

He froze right in front of a tortilla stand, and Gary, the sweetiepie running it, stared intently at him, believing that he would buy some. In reality, the hero was trying to find out what the vibrations were, where they were coming from, and as he slowly felt them becoming stronger and stronger, a fierce look appeared on his features.

So there went his third, and probably most accurate, guess.

_A monster._

_He’d been feeling dread over a looming menace this entire time._

The feline grinned to himself, confidently, as he moved his hand back and quickly unsheathed his katana, letting the sunlight hit the golden surface and making it shine flawlessly like it always did. How couldn’t he love Beatrice, his little bringer of destruction, when she looked this beautiful every single time they had to defeat a threat?

“Badgerclops!” He called out, dashing through the heart of the city and towards the direction he thought the beast was coming from, disappearing from general sight within seconds. His scream had almost sounded like it had been a bodiless voice carried by the wind. Badgerclops, who up until this point had been buying one of each stand he could spot, lazily turned his head to find the owner of the voice who’d been calling his name.

“Aw, c’mon… Pinky, I thought we told you not to steal other people’s food until further notice…”

At first he thought it was just a Pinky problem. He was aware of the issues Mao Mao usually had when dealing with that particular sweetiepie, but when he noticed the hero running at the speed of light towards the kingdom gates, though barely, his one eye widened.

“Oh, boy… coming, dude!” He yelled back, quickly munching on the pile of food that he was nesting with his bionic arm and beginning to run behind the sheriff in an attempt to catch up with him.

By the time the bigger of the two had managed to arrive at their unannounced meeting point, he was desperately trying to catch his breath. Eating all that food in one bite and then jogging after Mao Mao, who was basically a speeding bullet, hadn’t been his brightest idea.

“Dude… what’s… g-going on...? At least… at least tell me before making me run… run like that…” Badgerclops wheezed as he bent over and wrapped his arms around his belly in an attempt to soothe the pain that came with taking in all that air so suddenly.

Mao Mao just stood there, staring into the dark forest ahead. When his partner spoke up though, he held a hand up, as if ordering him to be quiet. Everything felt so ominous. The sound of the wind engulfed the scene, and his red cape waved accordingly.

Badgerclops kind of loved it when he assumed this heroic position. It looked straight out of a movie. No time to get distracted, though!

“Can’t you feel it…?” He whispered, to which the cyborg shook his head.

“I really have no idea what you’re talking about, man…”

However, as time went by, what began as faint vibrations that seemingly only Mao Mao could feel, developed into the core-shaking sound of steps, massive, heavy steps, that made the ground below them shake relentlessly.

Eyes widened, and bodies stiff and in a defensive position, both heroes were now setting their sight straight ahead.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, and what at first was fresh, clear spring air, began taking after the smell of… of flowers? Accordingly, the blowing wind brought a storm of pink petals, which almost covered the entire sky above the kingdom.

In the distance, the sweetiepies could be heard voicing their amazement, gasping in awe at the beautiful atmosphere, but Mao Mao and Badgerclops were the first to really see what exactly was responsible for it.

“Bro, what is that…?”

“I have no idea. It seems like it’ll be a lot of fun to slay, though.” He muttered, his clutch on his sword tightening as a head sprung from the trees.

A mouth full of sharp teeth. Clear, blue eyes. A white, dragon-like head covered in bright pink scales. The entire body had this same pattern. What really stood out though, were the giant horns, shaped like trees, which were covered in flowers, noticeably paler, but still pink. One particular branch extended across its back and ended in another big sprout that danced around the tail.

It ferociously roared as if trying to make its presence known, even though it was pretty clear that it had already been noticed, and with each movement it made, petals kept dangling off its body and carried elsewhere by the wind.

Now, it was standing right at the entrance. Towering almost as high as the Ruby Pure Heart.

A…

A spring monster…?

This was his first time witnessing a seasonal creature, and honestly, he would’ve been lying if he said that he didn’t feel his body shivering in anticipation. His job was slaying the monsters but being able to discover new creatures, and consequently, new threats and new ways to improve his own abilities always made him really giddy and excited.

This day just kept on getting better and better.

Without warning, the cat swung his weapon into position and dashed towards his target. He felt just like a kid trying out a new toy, but he wouldn’t let his excitement overcome his need to protect the villagers and he absolutely wouldn’t let a monster ruin their fun.

“Badgerclops! Charge in behind me! I have a plan!” He screamed at the badger, who seemed to be petrified by the uniqueness of the monster laid out before them at first, but quickly came back to reality and nodded to let him know he was listening.

“What was your plan?!” He asked, genuinely curious as he began running after him, organic arm resting on his robotic limb so he would be ready to pull out any gadget needed for their current situation. It wasn’t everyday that Mao Mao, out of all people, had a plan, so he was more than excited to hear so he could stick to it.

To his dismay, however, he got a “My plan was improvising, so not really a plan, just follow my lead!”

Stopping dead in his tracks to process his disappointment, he watched the dark blur that was Mao quickly clinging to the monster’s leg and climbing up his body as he was some type of weird, feline cockroach. The monster had begun to shake and roar in an attempt to get the annoying little thing off. He was holding his katana in between his teeth and using his claws to hang onto the skin, so it probably stung.

Nothing this big guy couldn’t handle, Mao thought, so he kept on climbing.

He was most likely planning to reach the head and kickstart his attack from there. Nor Badgerclops, nor Mao Mao himself had a solid idea of what was going to go down, but it seemed like the most obvious idea. They usually started attacking from the head to distract and throw the beast off its own balance.

Feeling his new host step back from the proximity of the kingdom as he made his way onto its pristine white head, the cat smirked, and finally standing victorious on top, he readied his katana and without warning, leaped and began slashing at the tree like horns. He was hoping to mess up its balance and make it back off even more, hopefully scare it off or confuse it. However, the more he hit the wooden antlers, the more they shook, and consequently, the petals that clung to its extremes quickly began to detach and slowly drift away.

The sight was absolutely beautiful, unfortunately, Mao Mao wasn’t in the mindset for sightseeing, he was too busy mindlessly attacking the wooden structures. To his surprise, the monster didn’t seem to budge, if anything, it only got angrier and the erratic movements of its body, coupled with the hero’s own thrusts of his weapon, caused a big rumble, which also brought down with it a big mat of petals, all blowing right into the hero’s face.

Blinding pink aside, it was then when he noticed. From a distance, the scent the beast emanated was already strong enough, but easy enough to ignore, but having it all impregnated on his face? It was intensely sweet, like the smell of regular cherry blossoms but increased by… math is hard, and his mind was beginning to get foggy. He just knew it was strong enough to send him stumbling backwards.

With the smell running up his nostrils, the feeling that he thought would stop bugging him for once, since it had all supposedly been his hero senses detecting a threat to the kingdom, came back and stronger than ever. First, a shiver ran down his entire body, then, as it became harder and harder to think straight, he felt his legs wobbling, his face becoming hot, and his chest tightening. For a moment, he thought he was actually dying or something, from how overwhelming it all felt.

The badger, who had been hopelessly witnessing the entire thing, then sighed. He could barely see Mao struggling to stay on his feet up there, but he had been devising a plan the entire time the cat spent applying senseless violence onto the beast, so he wanted to try and put it into action.

He had been studying the creature’s complexion, and what he noticed first was how the very wooden horns that Mao Mao was so focused on destroying traveled down its entire back and ended on various ramifications back on its tail.

So Mao Mao wasn’t entirely wrong… the way he approached the situation was terrible, yes, but messing with the balance was actually key here.

The cyborg chuckled quietly to himself, and he used his robotic arm, which he began extending until it reached the very tip of the monster’s tail, to firmly grab one of the branches, and simply pull back. Just strong enough to send its head backwards and make it growl in surprise. His final conclusion was that those branches worked like an external spine, so by doing that, he would completely throw the beast off.

Just to make sure, though, he swiftly moved his hand to the front and forcefully booped its nose with two fingers, finally making it back down and almost causing it to fall. It had lost its sense of direction, so that should’ve been enough. And enough it was, because feeling the world spinning around it, the monster decided now wasn’t a good time to destroy the kingdom, and tried to run away without falling on its face.

In the meantime, the sheer amount of seismic force that a dizzy monster could produce made the cat stumbling around its head finally lose his balance as well, and first, he bounced on its snout, only to bounce back into the air and free-fall to the ground.

Thankfully, Badgerclops was still paying attention, despite his ego slowly threatening to take over him as he watched his easily achieved victory running away, so he reacted immediately when he saw his partner’s squirming body flying down at such a dangerous speed, and caught him mid-fall with his robotic limb.

“What a poorly designed monster.” He snorted, but his attention quickly went back to the man in his grip.

“Geez, you’re a mess. This is why you always plan things first, man…”

Cradling him in his arms but making sure he wasn’t significantly hurt, the badger decided to start picking the petals from the hero’s face, and just then, could he really appreciate the expression he had under there. He was strangely out of breath, heaving. His face was warm, his eyes were half-lidded and glossy, and well, he could feel his entire body shivering. What caught him off-guard, however, was the way he was looking at him, attentively, like a house cat dazed by a toy-laser and ready to pounce.

It made his breath hitch for the briefest moment. The man looked like he could eat him.

“Dude, I’m sorry I stole your spotlight, but you kind of looked like you were going to die there, and if I didn’t do something, you-”

“You saved me…”

Silence.

“Uh… well, duh, my boyfriend was about to become cat mush against the ground, of course I- wait, you aren’t mad at me?”

“Why would I- I-I just, never really noticed how… stunningly strong you were” He almost whispered, his gloved hand slowly wandering until it landed on his organic arm, and once there, he began softly squeezing, feeling the muscle underneath his fur.

Badgerclops was flattered, yes, he would always take a compliment, especially from his beloved partner, but the way Mao Mao was speaking to him kind of left him wondering. He sounded less like he was trying to flatter him and more like he was babbling nonsense. Was he sick? When did he get sick? If he was, then he needed to get him home to rest immediately.

“Your arms are so beefy…” He caught the cat smirking.

Yup. He was definitely sick.

“Ooookay, Romeo. We’re going home. You need to rest.” Sharp eyes suddenly widening, Mao Mao was quick to jump off of the other’s strong arms and land on his feet, almost perfectly. He seemed to have regained a sense of reality in the brief moment that he’d heard the word “home” being mentioned. It was the quickest recovery he’d ever seen.

“Wh- No! We can’t leave, I worked hard on this festival and all we’ve done was lure that thing away and drown in each other’s presence! I haven’t done anything fun yet! I haven’t seen you enjoying it to the max!” He growled.

He may not have been in the best condition and it was more than concerning, but he was still a pride-driven creature, so he wouldn’t let himself, or his boyfriend for that matter, run away from something he’d spent so long working on.

Badgerclops knew he couldn’t argue with him when he got like this, and at the same time, he wanted to show him that he appreciated his hard work. He did give him a stern look in response, though.

They had a battle of stares, until the bigger of the two sighed in defeat.

“Fine, but I want you to take it easy. As soon as the sun sets, we’re going straight home and you, straight to bed.”

“Whatever, Badgermom.” Mao Mao scoffed, tripping with his own feet as he tried to shift away from his companion’s general presence and shake the rest of the petals off of himself. “Now, go! Go play a game or find a nice, spring-themed pie to eat!”

As the cat began fast-pacing, then jogging away from where the badger was, almost as if actively trying to avoid him, he couldn’t help but smile. He sure was a weird little guy, but he was happy that he was _his_ weird little guy.

He just hoped he wouldn’t get into any trouble while they were there. A sick Mao Mao wasn’t a good omen, but he trusted him to be careful, so he decided to ditch the thought, take a deep breath and go back into chill guy mode. He still had a lot of festival snack-tasting to do.

And snack-tasting he did.

He made his way into the heart of the valley, where the fountain laid, which was beautifully laced with seasonal decorations and floating around in the water, were the tiny, pink petals that their not so threatening monster had left behind. Luckily, the sweetiepies thought it was all set up, and were running around and laughing in awe at the ones that were still lingering around in the air.

The cyborg sighed, contently, sitting down onto one of the edges of the fountain while he watched the different scenes taking place. Of course, as the big guy relaxed, his robotic arm had begun stretching and traveled across the entire festival, exploring to its core’s content, grabbing one of each snack it could find. At this point, it acted on its own and he was glad that their badger-roboarm relationship had become so deep and mutual.

The air had begun to feel less heavy now that the kingdom was free of any menace. No one seemed to have noticed they’d been in danger just a few minutes prior. Good. It would have been worse to have Mao Mao screaming angrily because a monster made everyone panic and ruined the festival. Long lost in his thoughts, he let his eye follow the recently spotted Adorabat flying around in the air, having long left the streamers aside and now using the centrifugal force of their wings to make the petals fly at their will.

The entire scenario, along the gentle music filling the air, made for the perfect atmosphere.

However, it wasn’t long before he caught the King, strutting directly in his direction, all the while he enjoyed bathing the villagers in his royal presence. Assuming he was coming over because he needed a new victim to boast about himself to, he just smiled at him, waving with his free hand while his robotic limb made all the way back to him with the savory treasure it had found on its own little adventure.

“Good afternoon, your Grace! Haven’t seen you today.” He chuckled. “Are we having fun? To what do I owe the pleasure of talking to royalty today?”

“Why of course I am! Everyone gathering together in one place, all sharing the common mindset of celebrating a blooming season… festivals are the perfect setting for everyone to bask in my beautiful existence!”

Badgerclops could already feel himself struggling not to roll his eyes.

“Of course, your Grace… I’m glad you’re having fun, though! I know Mao Mao would like to hear that.”

“He’s done a fine job, hasn’t he…?” The royal sighed, taking a seat right next to the cyborg. It wasn’t something he would usually do, but he didn’t really think much of it, he was way too busy chomping down on a piece of cobbler that his arm had managed to salvage before Mao Mao even noticed that cobbler was being served. “That’s actually what I came here to talk about, deputee. I’ve been so busy making my presence known today that I haven’t had the time to catch you until now.”

Badgerclops, though still very much distracted, did become kind of curious. The king was beginning to ramble and it wasn’t every day that someone like Snugglemagne would want to have a one-on-one conversation if it didn’t mean getting something in exchange.

“I don’t understand, what do you want to talk about? Did Mao botch the festival somehow? I promise he didn’t do it on purpose, he’s just like that sometimes-”

“Not exactly! But I do want to talk about the sheriff.”

“Oh no, what did he do?”

“Nothing wrong! He’s been as diligent and uh… heroic, as he’s always been! But haven’t you noticed he’s been acting a little… off, lately?” Snugglemagne said, finally catching Badgerclop’s full attention. His mind immediately went to the scene that had played out earlier, when he’d caught Mao Mao right before he hit the ground. He didn’t think him losing his balance was weird, he was on top of a big, dizzy monster, so it was to be expected. But the way he stared at him, with those big, expressionless pupils, the way he was breathing, almost gasping for air, and how his body was reacting to the whole thing was very… well, strange.

“I mean… yeah…? He’s been strangely flinchy and acting all hot and bothered, but nothing extremely out of the ordinary. I honestly think he’s caught a fever and refuses to accept it. Typical Mao Mao behavior, so nothing to worry about.”

“Hasn’t he… been overly clingy, lately?”

“Well, only sometimes. Honestly, it feels more like he’s been avoiding me. We did get together very recently, maybe he’s having a hard time expressing affection.” He chuckled.

The king frowned. “Does _that_ look like the product of a mere fever?” He scoffed, pointing to a side so the badger could look as well. What he spotted made his eyebrows almost go through the roof. Mao Mao looked extremely uncomfortable and almost in pain as he covertly pressed his back, though most importantly, his behind, against a light pole, and tried to seemingly scratch an itch across his entire body while mewling as if he was a feral cat. He wasn’t very good at hiding his actions.

Badgerclops, whose eye was as wide as a plate now, kept on staring at the unique display before turning his head back to the royal, face consumed by an unexplainable panic.

“OKAY, I seriously don’t understand what’s going on and I’m very freaked out right now. What is wrong with him? Is he poisoned? Is he going to die?”

Before he could go on, the king shushed him and then smiled at him, almost condescendingly, but he honestly couldn’t tell. He always had that expression on his face.

“He’s not going to die, and I absolutely didn’t come here to scare you. I just thought I’d talk to you because his… displays... are starting to become kind of indecent and we can’t have that happening in front of the citizens. Since you didn’t bother stopping him, I just assumed you weren’t aware of what was happening.” He sighed, watching the sheriff now drop himself to the ground and start to roll around the petals scattered there, which made some of the sweetiepies around stop and indulge in the show he was putting on as well.

The badger gasped.

“The sheriff is not under any danger, but it seems that he is entering his heat cycle. Spring is the season for a lot of animals, but felines feel stronger waves of heat when the season begins. I can manage pretty well, but I’m afraid the sheriff seems to be losing control...”

Badgerclops remained silent, so Snugglemagne continued.

“...one is usually advised to stay inside as much as possible, rest and take care of the situation in the best way you can, but since the sheriff was so eager to help me with the festival and so nonchalantly walking out and about, I just assumed he had things under control. It seems I was wrong, and I can’t have him behaving like that in public. It’s just embarrassing and honestly, very inappropriate.”

The cyborg felt himself go stiff long ago, his eye didn’t get any wider only because it couldn’t. He was having a hard time processing the whole thing.

”How... how did he manage to hide it so well...?”

“Well, I’m wondering that myself, but I’m assuming something suddenly triggered the reaction. Has something happened recently that could’ve caused this?”

“Well, uh...” His mind was racing and he couldn’t remember anything in particular that could’ve made him act like that. 

“I’d blame these putrid petals flying around... a storm just like this one comes around every spring and legend tells of a Spring beast that carries the power of strong aphrodisiacs with it. But that's just a an old story, what do I know? No one's ever seen the beast.” He purred.

Oh no. It was all starting to make sense

“So this heat cycle... you mean as in… as in…”

“Yes, deputee, as in, Sheriff Mao Mao is in heat and ready to mate. Don’t tell me you don’t know what a heat cycle is…”

“Okay, first of all, don’t patronize me, I do know what a heat cycle is, second of all, I am very uncomfortable right now, talking about this with someone who happens to be an acquaintance so I’m just going to take Mao Mao and go home, but I thank you deeply for your advice and for pointing it out to me, okay, bye!” He quickly spat out, standing from where he was seated and rushing towards his partner, who was still on the floor, leaving a still chatty but pleased king behind. He was probably happy he could get that whole situation dealt with.

“Up you go!” Badgerclops chimed, picking up the hero and hoisting him up over his shoulder as if he was a sack of potatoes, which made him grunt and then quickly begin to kick and squirm in an attempt to get out of his grip.

“Let me go! Badgerclops, put me down right now! I thought we talked about this! It’s way too early to leave!”

But his pleads fell on deaf ears, as the bigger of the two men began walking towards the aerocycle that rested next to one of the many trees that decorated the town square.

“Yup, we did talk about this, Mao, but something has come up and we need to get you home right now before you do something you might regret.”

“When have I ever done things I’d later regret?!” Silence. “And you better not answer that! It’s a rhetorical question!”

“I’m sorry, Mao. It’s for your own good.” The badger finished, prepping the vehicle and sitting the cat close to the controls before finally getting on himself, securing the other’s body with his legs and surrounding him with both his arms so he could stir the machine. There was no way he would let the hero drive today.

He could feel him suddenly growing quiet and lowering his head from the position they’d assumed, the only sounds leaving his body being loud purrs that inevitably began shaking his chest. Knowing now the magnitude of the situation, he couldn’t help feeling flustered as well, but for now, he needed to focus on getting him home.

Before he started the engine, he turned his head to look for Adorabat, and when he spotted them running behind some of their friends with what seemed like a sharp piece of plastic, which he hoped to the heavens was just a toy, he called out their name.

“ADORABAT!”

The kid stopped dead in their tracks, giving their playmates some time to overrun them.

“WHAT?”

“MAO MAO IS SICK AND WE NEED TO GO HOME NOW. YOU COMING?”

“I-I’m not-”

“NOT REALLY! I WANT TO KEEP PLAYING!”

“OKAY, GOT IT! WE’LL COME FOR YOU LATER.”

“OKAY, THANKS, BADGERCLOPS! GET BETTER SOON, MAO MAO!"

“If you scream one more time, I don’t know what I’m going to do but it won’t be pretty…”

The badger waved at their apprentice as he softly chuckled in response to his partner, who was now speaking in a very low voice, which helped the loud purring make it almost impossible to hear him, but Badgerclops managed to make it out. All his senses must’ve become overly-sensitive overnight so he had a reason to be annoyed.

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. Let’s just get you home…” He said gently only to start the engine and carefully but surely, made for a secure lift-off and began heading straight to their cozy mountain home. He still wasn't very used to driving that thing.

Now that he had put all the puzzle pieces together, all thoughts remaining inside his head were on how exactly to deal with a Mao Mao in heat, how long was this going to last, and why he’d never noticed a cycle ever in his life despite living alongside the feline for so many years.

He surely couldn’t have mistaken all those previous cycles for seasonal fevers, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! i've had this idea for a long time now and i've noticed it's already been made, and i loved that story so much, so i'm hoping mine isn't too much of a mess or too weird. i just thought mao mao going through a heat cycle would make a lot of sense and it's a fun concept to write about! i apologize in advance if things get too convoluted i just wanted to write about badgermao because they make me so happy-- i hope you enjoy my self-indulgent mess!


	2. Stop talking

As soon as he spotted their home in the distance, the cyborg huffed in relief and, somehow, managed to keep the vehicle steady in the air while he wrapped his robo-arm around Mao Mao’s body, as if already readying himself to get him inside. 

The entire way there, the cat kept shifting around in his seat, and grumbling under his breath, and throwing angry glares at him from the corner of his eye, and it had become almost impossible for the badger to keep himself focused with the man acting like a child. Having done his best to ignore the fit he was throwing, he kept on driving until they’d finally reached their own territory, and having parked the aerocycle right across the entrance, he pressed his feet against the grass and let out a big breath he didn’t even realize he was holding in.

Honest to heaven, the most distracting part about the trip was having to be so close to Mao Mao. 

He hadn’t noticed the few times they’d been alone together earlier that day, the first time because of the blinding rush that they usually went through after fighting a monster, and the second because Mao Mao had managed to escape his clutches the moment he’d let go of him. 

But now that they were so close together, and nothing but silence and the sound of purring filled the air, he picked up on it. 

The smell.

He was _sure_ it wasn’t the smell of the petals impregnated on Mao’s fur, or maybe it was, King Snugglemagne did mention the weird effect they were rumored to have, but honestly, this smelled nothing like flowers.

If he had to compare it to something, it almost felt like the stench of sweat after a long day of training? It felt warm and it stuck with you until you took a shower, but this wasn’t… nearly as gross. 

It was warm, yes, but sweet, and it felt almost inviting, unlike nothing that he’d smelled before. 

Having to deal with that the entire trip, although it didn’t take that long, made him lightheaded and he had been holding his breath every time he got the chance. He’d even almost crashed the aerocycle against the dojo if it weren’t for his reflexes kicking in at the last minute. Thankfully, Mao never noticed. He was too busy scowling at him. 

“Finally…” The badger sighed, stepping off of the vehicle and cracking his back before turning back to look at Mao Mao, who seemed to be struggling to jump off himself. This was serious, huh? 

“Here, man.” He muttered with a gentle smile, walking over to loop his arms underneath the sheriff’s and helping him down, although the smaller of the two was quick to pull himself away. A blush was splattered across his face. 

At this point, it was unclear if he was angry, embarrassed, or both, but the cyborg simply sighed in defeat as he watched his partner stomping inside of the house and closely trailed behind him. They both needed time to process this. 

The cyborg took off his belt as soon as he stepped inside, and as hard as he’d tried to keep Mao Mao in his general sight, because as awkward as things had gotten, he was still very worried for him, the cat ended up vanishing into thin air almost as quick as the badger had turned his head to look for him. 

“Mao?” He called out once.

No response.

“Mao Mao!” He called twice.

Still nothing.

“Oh, Mao Mao Mao!” He called… thrice.

But at this point, when the silence engulfed the entire room, he’d given up. 

He wanted to ask so many questions, but he knew that the best thing to do when Mao got upset was to leave him be, at least for a while, until he came back on his own. He wasn’t sure if it worked the same way during a heat cycle, but he was willing to take that chance. He didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, and it was already confusing enough as it was.

So for the time being, he let him be. 

Badgerclops spent the rest of the day doing typical Badgerclops things. He sat on the comfy couch and went through his entire game collection, playing each for half an hour until he got bored and turned on a new one. After deciding it had been enough stimulation for his brain, he got up with a yawn and headed over to the kitchen, where he spent a good hour preparing himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, followed by a turkey sandwich, followed by an ice cream sandwich and then finished his snack time by digging through the fridge and picking every single sweet item he could find there.

He was almost tempted to grab some of the cobbler that Mao had been saving but the little guy had had enough for a day so he tried his best to ignore it. 

So after having his afternoon snack, he walked towards the studio area, located past the dojo’s entrance, and sank down to doodle some things to ease his mind. He mostly did shapeless figures because he couldn’t really focus like he would’ve wanted to. So he ditched it quicker than expected.

Even though he was going through his every-day routine by the book, today it had become particularly exhausting. It had to be everything going on, his mind still doing barrel-rolls in an attempt to understand it and, most importantly, comprehend how he’d never noticed before. He felt bad. He felt like a bad friend, and now, like a bad partner. He probably would’ve been able to be there for Mao a lot earlier if he’d only known. 

He bit his lip, not wanting to get lost in a spiral of thoughts that needed basis to be proven right. He tended to let himself delve into his own insecurities and take them out of proportion, and this wasn’t about him, it was about Mao.

And now that he was thinking about Mao Mao, he suddenly perked up and stared at the door that led to the dojo. He was sure he was there, he could hear the faint clanking of his sword against the wooden test dummies. But the formula of “letting him be and wait until he came back on his own” wasn’t really working out. 

Almost four hours had passed, it was getting dark out there, and he was growing impatient. 

He got up from his seat, eyes still intently set on that door. 

He’d made up his mind. He would go pick up Adorabat from the festival, he’d tuck them into bed, and he would go talk to his partner once and for all. 

However, as he was about to step towards where he’d left his belt and slide it on, he noticed a little note sliding through the cracks of their main door, followed by giggling that slowly began fading as it got further and further.

For a moment, he stood there, confused, but his curiosity proving to be stronger than him, he walked over to pick up the note, which was written in obnoxiously yellow paper, and unfolded it between his claws. 

“ _HIII_ _BADGERCLOPZ!!! I DUN’T THINK I’LL MAKE IT TODAY! KETCHUP IZ HOLDING AN AFTER-FESTIVUL SLUMBER PARTY AND I JUST INVITED MYSELF!! SO I THOUGHT I’D LET Y'ALL KNOW FIRZT! C U TOMORROW!!! TELL MAO MAO I’LL MISS HIM OKAY BYE - ADORABAT_ ”

Seeing how many colors were splattered in just one simple note and watching some of the stickers falling to the floor because of how cluttered it was, the cyborg couldn’t help but chuckle. The bat always found a way to surprise him, and this was another one of them. He trusted them enough to take care of themselves, and he was sure they’d be in good hands if they were just going to a friend’s house.

Besides…

This just gave him the perfect excuse to gather up the courage to go and talk to the stubborn cat. 

Careful not to crush the note in-between his fingers, he placed it atop the little table that rested in the middle of the living room. He would make sure to post it on the fridge later, but now, he had an objective set in mind.

Trying not to be too loud, he stepped towards the dojo’s entrance, almost hesitating at first, but quickly shaking his head. There was no time to hesitate. 

As he walked into the training area, he found the hero right where he’d assumed he’d be, doing exactly what he’d assumed he’d be doing. Whenever Mao got too frustrated, he would train. Slashing things in half, hitting dummies, moving his body. It helped his mind focus on something else and it was a good way to let all his anger out. Badgerclops worked the same way, but with inventions. 

This time, he was attempting to take down one of the robotized dummies that the badger had recently built for more realistic training. Emphasis on attempting, because he was as clumsy as he’d been that morning. He could barely hit it with his katana, whenever he dashed towards his target, he would trip on his own feet and fall face first against the metal surface of the dummy, or even worse, the wooden floor. The heat pooling in his stomach and making his legs all wobbly and his mind all foggy was making it impossible for him to work like a functioning creature, and as much as he tried to look composed and unbothered, it showed.

Normally, during training (and especially having failed so many times at something that would’ve come as natural for him) Mao Mao would have rather ignored whoever had stepped into the dojo to focus on bettering his technique, on finding out what he was doing wrong.

But the second the other so much as crossed the doorway over into the room he was standing in, the cat’s ears perked up and his eyes widened, pupils small and intense. His nose was scrunching up as if he was smelling the air. He didn’t turn his head, however. Just as quickly as he had noticed the other man in the room, he moved his head down and shut his eyes close. He looked as if he was struggling not to look at him, but somehow, he refused to acknowledge he was there with him and, shaking, he set his eyes back on the dummy before him. 

Badgerclops raised his eyebrow, leaning against the wall space right next to the doorframe and simply watching him train. He didn’t want to interrupt him, so he thought he’d wait until he was done. Besides, he’d always loved watching his partner when he trained. He got so riled up and focused, it was a sight the cyborg deeply enjoyed. 

However, Mao Mao didn’t seem to like what he was doing, because if he was already doing terribly before he came in to watch him, having his eye all over him made him an absolute, focus-less mess. 

He tried. 

He tried to make it seem like he had things under control, but as he sped towards his victim and seemingly managed to reach it without losing his balance, he swung his katana against where the neck would be, and before he could slash at it, it slipped from his hands as if they were covered in butter, and because he had nothing to keep himself steady against the metallic dummy, he hit his face against its chest and was sent stumbling backwards as if he was a baby deer struggling to walk. 

He growled to himself.

His mind was set on not only keeping his attention on the target ahead, but also screaming at him that Badgerclops was there, that his partner was just a few feet away from him, that there he was, and he smelled so good, and overwhelming was not enough a word to describe everything that was going on inside of him. 

And the cyborg noticed.

“Mao… you good…?” He decided to start early, which clearly startled the hero.

“No.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

“No.”

Tough crowd.

An overwhelming silence filled the room all of the sudden. Badgerclops didn’t exactly know how to push the conversation forward if there was no conversation taking place, so he just stood there, making Mao’s patience grow thin. 

But what surprised him the most was when he turned his head, daring to look at him for the first time in hours. 

“If you’re just gonna stand there watching like an idiot, at least come over here and help me train.” 

“Wh…”

“If you haven’t noticed already, I’ve been having a very bad streak lately, I dunno, seasonal fevers, and practicing with stupid dummies isn’t really helping me. I always do better when we train together.” 

The hero was looking off to the side, as if embarrassed to have asked in the first place. 

Was this really okay? 

Obviously, Badgerclops didn’t mind helping but Mao didn’t seem to be in the best condition to fight. Then again, it was true that they’d always bonded over training together and fighting alongside the other. Maybe Mao really needed this, and he didn’t want to say no if that was the case. 

“Alright, bro! Set the pace and I’ll comply!” He chuckled, approaching the cat to join him in the training area. He shook his robo-arm a little as if trying to prep it. He knew Mao Mao liked to aim at it whenever they trained, and he sure as hell was going to defend himself with it. 

Once they stood one across the other, they locked eyes. Badgerclops was as giddy as ever, giving the cat one of his signature goofy smiles, to which he felt his face heating up. He hoped to heavens that he wasn’t doing this on purpose to throw him off. He would never forgive him for that. Only a few seconds of silence went by before the smaller of the two launched himself forward with a grunt, katana already swung to his side as he aimed directly at the cyborg’s arm. 

He didn’t stay still, and as the cat tried to push his sword through his robotic limb, he pushed his own body forward in an attempt to make him back down as he allowed his prosthetic to cover itself in a stronger coat of metallic armor. He needed to be careful not to let him slice it off like he’d done countless other times. 

Accordingly, Mao Mao jumped back to reevaluate his strategy, his legs trembling when he landed feet first against the floor. However, he gritted his teeth and simply went in for more. 

The pace had been set. Mao Mao expected Badgerclops to put up a defense as he attacked again and again and tried not to lose his drive, maybe trying to prove if his own reflexes were still as sharp. And Badgerclops complied, just as he said he would, not attacking but simply responding to each move the sheriff made. 

Once the cat had finally taken in what he needed to do, he ran towards his companion once more, and in an attempt to surprise him, jumped up in the air and decided to attack from above this time.

Each thrust that the cat made, the badger successfully stopped and corresponded by pushing him back, again and again. He charged in from behind, Badgerclops built up a big shield to protect himself. He charged in from the sides, Badgerclops made his arm spin around as if it was some sort of big fan that he used to avoid having his defenses broken by the fast creature going at him. 

Their training sessions usually went just like this one. None of them ever truly won, they just spent the remainder of their time going at each other until one of them got tired. Usually it was Badgerclops, who simply called for a pause and went to grab a snack only to never come back. 

But this time, it was Mao Mao who seemed to reach his limit faster. 

For each time he had to pull away to think, it seemed to get harder and harder for him to breathe. His eyes weren’t focused on an objective anymore, he looked lost and desperate as he scanned every inch of his companion’s body. 

Watching him struggle to keep up, the cyborg’s eye widened and he put down his defensive state to stare back, concerned, at his partner, whose legs looked about ready to give up on him at any moment. 

Seeing this as the perfect chance to strike, and hearing his pride yelling at him from the back of his mind, even through all the other feelings that were trying to swallow it down and shut it up, the cat clutched his katana tightly between sweaty hands and plunged forward, managing to startle the other and even though he’d barely managed to put up his arm to cover himself, the sheer amount of force that Mao had applied to this particular attack made him fall backwards and right onto his butt, bringing the cat down along with him as he’d accidentally gotten his katana stuck to his arm and failed to pull it out in time. 

“Ha…! I… I win…” Mao Mao chuckled weakly, barely being able to speak through his constant inhaling and exhaling. 

A powerful silence engulfed them for like the third time that day, which was only cut by Badgerclop’s cheerful laugh. Mao Mao, who was resting, defeated on his chest, felt it go up and down as he continued to laugh, and without even looking up, he swallowed nervously. 

Swiftly pulling the katana off of his robotic limb and hearing small electricity sparks crackle, the badger snorted while trying to calm his happiness. 

“Oh, man…! It’s been a while since we’ve done this! You even managed to beat me even when you look at the verge of passing out, it’s amazing… _you’re_ amazing.” 

That seemed to be the cat’s breaking point, because the moment those words hit his ears, which twitched and perked up, he felt his gloved hands gripping at the fur on the man’s chest and he helplessly hit his red face into it, causing the other to sit up and look down at him, not only confused, but equally as flustered.

“I… I can’t do this…” 

“Mao…?”

“It’s… it’s so hard… to think straight… when I’m close to you…” 

He swallowed, and he could feel him sniffling a little, though he was sure he also took the opportunity to take in his scent. 

“Your smell… it’s so distracting… almost like you do it on purpose… It’s torture…” 

As seconds passed and they stayed in that same position, Mao Mao slowly began to rub his head against the other’s chest, gently purring, as if he was actually seeking some sort of response from the other. At this point, he’d completely given up. He hated humiliating himself like this, but what could he do now? Now that he was pressed close against his partner while he nested him in between his legs. It was embarrassing but it didn’t matter anymore.

Badgerclops, even though he was still a bit lost, didn’t hesitate to move his claws down and press down against Mao’s head, petting him gently. “I’m sorry.” He chuckled. “I’ve been so oblivious all day, I probably made it a lot worse.” He chuckled, only to be met by two hands cupping his cheeks and pulling his head down so he could look at the other in the eye. Fierce, determined eyes that were glossed over with a hint of need that neither of them could describe. “To be fair, you’re really good at hiding it so I couldn’t possibly know about all-”

“Stop talking.” The man mumbled under his breath, only to kneel up so he could face his partner properly. Once they were at the same eye-to-eye level, the cat creeped his face dangerously close to Badgerclops’, which made the cyborg flinch ever so slightly. He felt his own cheeks heat up, Mao bringing his lips to be inches away from his. 

He noticed his partner’s lips part with the intent to say something else, and this alone was enough to make the sheriff smirk and move in for a kiss. 

Badgerclops felt his breath hitch as he felt their lips pressing together. This was probably the second time they’d kissed ever since they’d got together, the first being the day Mao confessed, and it felt nothing like that time. This was hot, filled with passion and desperation. Not that he was complaining, he just never got to witness Mao Mao in this state, since he normally refused to show any kind of physical affection because it would make him look vulnerable. 

Now, his hands were roaming across his partner’s chest up to his shoulders, where needy fingers clung. His mouth was busy lapping at the other’s lips in an attempt to deepen the kiss, and just then, he had time to finish processing the situation, and giving into the kiss, he wrapped his strong arms around the cat’s frame, pressing him completely against his body, and gave the cat what he wanted, barely parting his lips so he would be able to explore his mouth to his heart’s content. 

Letting himself inside with the signature confidence that made Mao Mao who he was, he tilted his head ever so slightly and used his tongue to explore his partner’s mouth with all the eagerness he could muster up, relishing in the feeling of the other reciprocating and wrapping his tongue around his own. It made him shiver. 

As their make-out session turned steamier and steamier as Mao Mao did everything in his power to make the feeling more intense, Badgerclops allowed himself to focus on other things, and he felt his robo-arm slowly wander down, and as he traced the feline’s spine with his claw and felt him shiver and grunt, he smiled into the kiss. Mao Mao’s senses were probably particularly strong during his cycle and he was aware of this. 

A small chuckle inevitably left him, interrupting the kiss for a very brief moment, _extremely brief_ , because Mao Mao made sure their lips were connected again the second they threatened to separate. At this point, he was kissing him as if he was running out of air and he needed him to provide him with more, but in reality what was happening right now was that Mao Mao had given into his more primal senses. 

Just everything about Badgerclops was calling out to him, and he would’ve been well aware of this even outside of his ecstasy-like state. Hell, he’d liked the man for years and had pinned for him in silence for heaven knows how long, but now everything felt so… so intense, and his will-power didn’t feel all that strong for him to sit back and torture himself the way he’d been doing all day. 

The smaller of the two men was quick to shift his position in between the other’s legs so he could be sitting on one of his thighs, which meant he would be in a better position to kiss him, and both of them took notice of this, as Mao felt his body shivering in delight when the badger sunk deeper into the kiss and suddenly took control of the pace. 

However, he seemed to halt almost immediately when, in-between steamy kisses and his mind getting foggy with horny thoughts, he felt the needy cat begin to grind against his thigh. He wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it, he’d full on began grinding his hips and even bouncing his body ever so slightly in an attempt to get more friction. 

Badgerclops swiftly moved away from the kiss, causing Mao Mao to follow with his head as if begging to continue, and if that wasn't clear enough, the look of disappointment he got next sealed the deal. 

“W-What are you doing…?” Mao almost whined as his partner carefully slid himself off of his grip and, with shaky legs, stood up and brought him up with him, though it was clear the cat was having it a lot harder to stand straight after having received very much needed stimulation. 

The badger wrapped his arms around the sheriff and used his organic arm to craddle him there, which probably wasn’t his best idea because the smell he emanated now that they were both equally as eager to continue was hypnotising, but at the moment, he had priorities, as tempting as Mao Mao looked and smelled. 

“Badgerclops!” He growled, moving his hands up to squish at his face, probably trying to get him to put him down as he walked them out of the dojo and back into the house. 

“Okay, first of all, I really don’t like the idea of getting all hot and intimate out in the dojo… it’s all… open and I feel exposed.” He sighed. Mao Mao wasn’t satisfied with the answer, but Badgerclops kept walking until he’d reached the kitchen and once there, he opened the fridge to dig inside. 

Mao felt a chill run down his spine as the cold air embraced him. 

“Second of all, despite looking like, you know, the worst boyfriend in the world for not having noticed your heat cycles before, (even though we technically weren’t dating until like five months ago so that would make me a bad friend, not a bad boyfriend, but since we _are_ dating now, you get my point)...” 

He could feel the other’s eyes burning on him. 

“Okay, even though I came off as a terrible partner for not having noticed before, I do know how heat cycles work because isn’t that like… general knowledge? I hope it is, otherwise I’m gonna feel like a big weirdo— and well, I really don’t want you to pass out on me or to have a bad time through this, so we’re gonna grab a crazy ton of bottles of water, and I’m going to treat you like a king because this must be hard on you and you honestly deserve it.” He said gently, his robo-arm grabbing ten bottles in between its clutches as the badger pressed a tender kiss against his partner’s forehead, partner who was currently a blushing, confused mess, and honestly, the fact that his body was pulsing and on fire wasn’t helping at all. 

“Wh… WHAT THE HOT DOG WAS THAT?!” He yelled, hiding his face into his hands to avoid further humiliation. “Why are you getting all mushy mushy on me when I’m like this?!” 

“Oh, baby, I’m always getting mushy mushy on you, you just never notice because you spend most of the time screaming and/or trying to find new criminals to fight…” He chuckled, nuzzling his nose against the top of his head. “I love that about you, though.” 

“That’s cheating.” He let out a muffled groan as his companion finally decided to shut down the fridge door and began carrying him to a different location. “And cowardly… to attack when I lower my defenses…” 

“No, that’s being smart, being smooth. A great hero taught me that.” 

Mao could feel his face heating up even more, if that was even possible at this point. However, before he could start yelling again, he felt his butt resting against a wooden surface and he jumped in surprise only to find that Badgerclops had sat him down in a wooden chair that rested on a side of their bedroom. 

Confused, he watched him as he placed the water bottles on the little night-table and turned to smile at him. 

“This is a much better place to get steamy, don’t you think?” 


	3. I love you, Mao Mao

“You’re kidding me, right…? You stopped a stupidly amazing make-out session to bring us here? How are we gonna… gonna… uh… do _that_ on a triple bunk-bed, Badgerclops? Please enlighten me because this is becoming unbearable.” He grumbled, rubbing his legs together, looking for some kind of friction. 

Badgerclops smirked and put his robo-arm up, quickly shifting his hand into a control with only three buttons on it. “Check it out, dude.” He simply said before pressing the one in the middle, causing their bunk-bed to shake almost too violently and, before his very eyes, shift and turn into a queen sized bed. 

Mao Mao stared in disbelief while Badgerclops stood there, chuckling proudly. 

“Isn’t that neat? I installed it the day I built the bunk-bed, I thought it would come in handy to have more than one type of bed (especially for naps), so the one on top makes it a singular bed, and the one on the bottom makes it go back to our good ol’ bunk-bed.” He sighed, turning back to his partner. “So, whaddaya think?” 

But before he could fully appreciate the other’s expression, the cat was already launching himself at him, pushing him back and making him land on his back against the bed, almost immediately straddling him. 

“Oh, Badgerclops… I think you’re a genius…” He slurred his words as he pressed both their chests close together so he could look up at his partner from below and slowly crept up until their lips met, and there he gave a quick peck and held his lower lip between his teeth for mere seconds before pulling away and sitting up. Badgerclops simply stared, eye wide at the display Mao was putting on for him. He was already ridding himself of his cape, which had begun to feel like it was suffocating him, and then moved onto his leg armor, braces, gloves, and finally, his belt, all the while grinding his hips against the badger’s, who was already feeling heat pooling on his pelvis from that alone. 

“Holy shhh… shubbums, dude…” He exhaled. 

“What’s wrong…?” Mao purred with a smirk, finally free from his woolen constraints, dipping back down and pressing his nose against the crook of his partner’s neck, where he began lapping at and went on to press kisses all across his chest area. 

“G-Ghh… that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen…” A shiver ran up his body. “I’m lowkey already turned on just because of that…”

“Mhmm…?” The cat mumbled against warm fur and skin, his naked paws roaming up to that face of his and cupping his cheeks. “Prove it…” He whispered against his lips before bringing him into another deep, needy kiss, which the cyborg corresponded almost as quickly, clawing at the bedsheets underneath him. Mao Mao seemed to have his mind set on grinding the soul out of him. 

But as they melted into each other’s warmth once more, the badger decided to take the lead this time, wrapping his claws around Mao’s frame and rolling them around until he was on top, of course, hosting himself up with his arms to not crush him under his weight. He never broke the kiss, but he did notice the shift in expression in the cat’s face, who seemed to get even more eager by the chance of positions. 

As the sound of wet kisses and both of their moans mixing in together almost perfectly filled the room, he decided to occupy his robotic limb by running it down his partner’s body and pressing gently against the source of all heat, which almost instantly made Mao Mao mewl in surprise at not only the cold surface, but also the intensity of being touched in his current state. 

Badgerclops didn’t have much feeling on that part of his body, but by the way his fingers slid up and down almost too smoothly, he could already tell that Mao was excited out of his mind. 

“Hehehe… you’re so wet…” 

“N-Nhh... c-can’t you sh-shut up…?” He growled between gritted teeth. He wasn’t in the right mindset to be… thinking, in general, but he still had the energy to reply with venom if Badgerclops dared to make fun of him. 

“Sorry, sorry…” He replied with a dorky smile, dipping down to leave a trail of kisses that went from his lover’s shut eyelids, to his cheeks, to his neck, and then began going down from his chest, making sure every step of the way was covered in a kiss or two. Mao squirmed the entire time, watching him with curious, half-lidded eyes. He stared calmly, expectantly, and everything was going fairly smooth until Mao Mao, in his dazed state, noticed that Badgerclops’ little stroll down his body went beyond his stomach and began closing in dangerously to his genital area, where the kisses began to feel like hot bullets landing against his skin, and then, he flinched and tried but failed to slide off of his grip. 

“W-W-What are y-you doing?!” He yelped, ears twitching nervously. His entire face felt like it was about to explode from how unbearably warm it was. The badger found the sight adorable, and moved in a hand to run it across Mao’s head, petting the fur gently, in an attempt to calm him down. 

“Didn’t I mention I wanted to treat you today?” He whispered. The cat, shaking, really couldn’t hide how turned on he was, and the mere thought of what Badgerclops was planning to do made his head spin, it had just taken him by surprise. He slowly but surely melted back into the other’s touch, and the cyborg took this as a sign to continue. And continue he did, because the moment Mao had given him a nod to signal him to go on, he placed both of his hands on his thighs and carefully spread them open to have more space to work on. He watched as his partner’s lower body twitched and squirmed in anticipation. “This will help ease the feeling a little before we get to the main event--” 

And, to add to the sight, his assumption had been right. 

Mao was so eager and wet already, the sight he gave him felt almost ripped straight out of a dream, and he made sure to take it all in. 

“You’re really hot, have I ever told you that…?”

“Hmnphgh… sh… up…” He could hear him grumble under his breath as he turned his head in an attempt to avoid eye contact.

“Here, let me help you with that.” The bigger of the two men whispered, gently pressing his hands against the sides of the cat’s hips and positioning him so his head would be resting comfortably in between the pillows, and once he noticed that Mao was breathing a little more steadily, he shot him a smile and leaned down. His hands this time were resting on both thighs that were almost embracing his head, and without previous warning, he pressed his snout against the man’s genitals and took a long lick, which made the body underneath him quiver almost violently. 

“G-GAahh! B-Badgerclops…!” The badger didn’t bother looking up, that reaction alone gave him enough motivation to keep going, and after fixing his own position, began lapping at it, focusing mostly on the small bundle of nerves atop his partner’s privates. He pressed his tongue against it and made sure to give it proper attention as one of his hands caressed the man’s thigh and slowly moved to hold one of his legs up, just a little, so he could have better access.

Mao’s mouth was hanging open as grunts and meowls helplessly left his throat. He’d never got this kind of treatment during a heat cycle and despite them just beginning to do this, he already felt so overwhelmed. He felt himself slipping out of reality. It was almost like an out of body experience but everything felt so unnecessarily intense. He hated this, not because it felt bad, hell, he’d never felt better in his entire life, but because he was acting like an big, dumb idiot, and Badgerclops was watching it all. 

Feeling his partner’s wet organ pressing, kissing, licking and sucking against him like that, at such a fast and constant pace felt enough to send him over the edge. He was already a sweaty, moaning mess. 

He looked down at him using all the strength in his body to do so, and what he saw made him curse to all his ancestors simultaneously for not having been able to experience this sooner. That stupid blue orb of his was looking straight at him, half-lidded and filled with determination and lust. He’d probably been staring and analyzing his reactions this entire time.

He was going to kill him when they were done with this...

“F-Fu… a-ahn! W-Wait…!” He whimpered, so quietly that he was sure the badger hadn’t heard him at first, because he just watched him tilt his head to a side and spread his legs further apart, and then felt him, rolling his tongue against his clit and causing a particularly loud mewl to escape his throat. “N-Nhh… B… Ba… BADGERCLOPS!” He cried out again, to which the other immediately perked up. 

“Wha…? Do you want me to stop? Sorry, dude, you tasted really good so I just got so worked up…” He said with an embarrassed smile, wiping his mouth with the side of his organic arm. How did he manage to make Mao flustered with every single thing he did?

“S-Stop s-saying so many e-embarrassing things! D-Do you w-want to kill me?!” The sheriff growled.

Badgerclops shook his head. “I do NOT want that, excuse you.” 

Mao Mao frowned, moving his head down almost in shame. However, his eyes lingered and looked up at his partner, and after simply staring at his dumb, beautiful face and studying his features, the feline bit his lip and closed his eyes in resignation. Spreading his wobbly legs open by himself, he leaned back against the soft mattress and reached his arms out. He refused to look at him this time, though.

“P-Please, come here, it feels weird w-without… without close contact…” 

So that’s what it was.

Badgerclops wanted to swoon so badly, but he knew he would only embarrass him further. However, what he did do was throw himself at him and wrap his arms around him, pulling their bodies close. 

“Argh! Look at you! You’re so handsome and cute at the same time, how do you do it?!” 

Mao Mao didn’t say a word, he just felt the need to hiss because of how mushy mushy he was being again, and he squirmed into his grip. Yeah, he could shield himself under the excuse that the heat was making him clingy and yearn for physical affection. But in reality, he still was sane enough to realize that he was also using this opportunity to melt into all the affection that he couldn’t get from Badgerclops before. He felt so warm and comforting and safe, and every single touch and gentle word he provided to him made his heart jump with excitement. He hated it, but he couldn’t help the strong urge to smile like an idiot in love every-time he did these little things. 

The immense love he felt for this big guy was indescribable. 

However, just as he was managing to overcome the feral feeling threatening to take over him with those lovey feelings he’d been so actively avoiding for so long, a pulsing heat against his leg made his eyes widen in shock.

Badgerclops was still holding him tight and giggling, so he decided to see what that was all about and used his rear paw to touch and caress what was pressing against his own body, and slowly felt a smirk creep onto his lips when the thing twitched against his touch. So the badger was just as excited as he was, huh? 

He felt the bigger body shivering against him when he began toying with his erection, and the purr that began resonating across his chest felt inevitable at that point. The smaller of the two leaned upwards, wrapping his arms around his partner’s neck, and he made sure to keep his paw prodding at the erection before he leaned in, and whispered into his ear. 

“Badgerclops… It’s really hard for me not to fantasize about how this would feel inside of me…” He didn’t hesitate to give it a lick. “Please help me find out…” His voice went from raspy and demanding to begging and desperate in a matter of seconds, which only caused the cyborg to grow even more flustered. 

At this point, Mao was masturbating his partner with both his rear paws, his incredible flexibility and strength being pretty helpful, since he was working on it with ease, almost as if he was using his hands. Hearing Badgerclops’ sighs and moans felt like music to his ears, and he relished in the feeling, but the stimuli he himself was getting from rubbing himself against his stomach area was making him grow impatient. 

Almost as if he was reading his mind, the badger slowly but surely broke their embrace, even though he looked almost in pain to have done so, and pulled away. 

He looked so out of breath and overwhelmed, and… was that a trail of drool running down his chin? 

Mao Mao had a hard time holding in his laughter, and he snorted as he watched the other man’s face growing red. 

“D-Dude, I _don’t_ wanna hear it!” He grumbled, only to get the most loving and genuine smile he’d ever seen on Mao Mao’s face. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just… I don’t know if it’s all the sex hormones flying around in the air or if something in me finally snapped but… I feel so giddy right now…” 

A combo hit to the badger’s heart. 

He had to move a hand up to make sure the organ inside his chest hadn’t stopped beating. 

“I was blessed with the most amazing boyfriend in the world…” A whimper. “Boyfriend whom I don’t wanna hurt.” Badgerclops sighed as he got up from the bed and walked over to their night-table and knelt down.

First, he reached his robo-arm up to grab one of the many water bottles he’d brought with him, and quickly made it travel towards the bed to press it against Mao Mao’s scorching hot forehead. “First, have a drink, I’ve seen you sweating like crazy and if you pass out tonight I won’t forgive myself… or you, for that matter.” 

Mao Mao, though reluctantly, grabbed the bottle and began chugging. 

Then, he reached into the last drawer, and after rummaging from a few seconds, having an expectant Mao watching him attentively, he pulled out a tiny package and held it up with two fingers. “Secondly, even though we’re both horny as hell, safe sex is still priority!” 

The cat never took his eyes off of him, following him when he came back to kneel on top of the bed, and sit back. He didn’t have a tail to wave from side to side, but his emotions were well conveyed by the way his ears stood, perked up high. He was curious and expectant. 

As the cyborg spread his legs and he could finally appreciate him in his full, sexy glory, Mao felt his mouth watering. There was a spark in his eye. 

Badgerclops had grown a little distracted, struggling to open the package, but when he finally did and caught Mao Mao staring and suckling on the empty water bottle, he couldn’t help but smirk at him. 

“Can I help you with something, sir?” 

“Y-You’re so big…” 

“Why, thank you~” 

“Don’t get all egomaniac on me… I-I’m just really… excited…” 

“Have you never done this before?” 

“Uh… Tanya and I used to experiment... she mostly liked doing… the whole foreplay thing… but I was always way too busy looking for bad guys to fight… so like… we mostly made out...” It seemed like he was having a hard time trying to find proper words but still managed to make out coherent sentences. He was just so fixated on the other as they locked eyes and they both felt their cheeks flushing at the same time. 

Slowly, as if trying to set up the mood, the cyborg smiled and began sliding the condom down his organ, having to shut his eye at one point from the friction. He’d done this before too, he once told Mao about his affairs with the entire criminal group he used to work with, but it had been a long time since then, and something about doing with Mao felt like an entirely different and unique experience. 

He watched the other lick his lips when he’d finally reached the shaft, and finally ready to please his boyfriend, he crawled over to him and again, hovered on top of his body, arms resting on each side of Mao’s body. He leaned down to press a tender kiss against his lips, which made the cat internally swoon, and then, he knelt up again to have a better look at his entrance. 

He bit his lip. 

Just to make sure, he used two of his fingers and began rubbing them up and down the sensitive and wet area and watched his partner squirm and cling to the bed sheets. At this point, he was teasing him, because Mao made clear that he wanted this to escalate, but he needed to make sure he would be okay. 

Dragging those fingers downwards this time, although never moving them away from the source of the cat’s pleasure, until he’d reached his entrance and gently traced over it. Mao Mao whined impatiently, probably because he was expecting to immediately plunge inside, but first, he went back to rubbing his fingers against the wet surface to coat them in the slippery substance, and _then_ , he smiled. 

His robo-arm kept one of Mao’s legs to one side, and he watched the cat spread the other on his own. Mao swallowed as he felt himself being engulfed in a mix of eagerness, but also nerves. They didn’t do it much, but he did try this with Tanya, so he wasn’t really scared of this. But this was the very second time he’d shown himself so vulnerable in front of another person, it had been so long since he’d felt like this about someone. 

He blamed this stupid heat for making him overthink things so much. (As if he didn’t already overthink things all the time.) 

Thankfully, Badgerclops was there to rocket punch him out of his own head, because that’s exactly how it felt when he suddenly began feeling two warm things wiggling their way inside of him.

A gasp, followed by a shaky moan as he melted back into the pillow, escaped his lips, and little could he do to express how he felt at the moment because he felt incapable of forming a coherent sentence. 

It stung, but the way he carefully pushed in deeper and wiggled his fingers around his pulsing walls made him want to choke on his words and beg for more. 

The badger was getting as horny himself, watching his boyfriend suddenly begin to rut against his fingers. The way he displayed his pleasure to him was driving him insane. His back was arching beautifully, his eyes were shut as he probably tried to concentrate on the nice feeling instead of the shots of pain that it brought with it, his nose was scrunched up and he let his mouth hang agape as hot, rapid breaths left him. 

Before he could really begin to touch himself, he felt Mao’s rear paw get back to work, pressing itself firmly against the organ and proceeding to rub it up and down. 

Through shut eyes, he noticed the other put on a toothy smirk. 

“G-Geez…” He could only sigh, leaning down so he could bring the other man into a heated kiss, which he corresponded immediately. His robo-arm helped him keep his balance while gripping the sheets, while his organic arm kept working on Mao Mao, penetrating him at a nice and gentle rhythm, but quickly picking up the pace the more the cat kept rutting, and soon thrusting himself down into those delightful fingers. 

He was tempted to move his paw down and start rubbing the little bundle of nerves that currently remained unattended, but he didn’t think he had the coordination skills to pull this off. His hips and leg were already way too busy. 

In-between kisses, their moans resonated together against each other’s mouth, and in one particular pause to breathe, where Mao Mao took the chance to cup his partner’s face and lick his lips rather lewdly, Badgerclops smirked and gave a particularly strong thrust of his fingers, which went deep into the warmth of the cat and made him jump and let out a loud moan, eyes wide. 

Gritting his teeth, though still moaning and purring through them, the cat used his paws to grip at the badger’s shoulders and pressed his snout against his neck, where he began nuzzling and trailing the fur with his sharp fangs. “C-Can’t take… a-any… anym… I n-need…” He basically begged, his body a quivering, sweaty mess. He kept on thrusting down into his fingers but because he felt that if he stopped feeling full, he’d die. 

Badgerclops got the message loud and clear, and not wanting to torture his partner any longer, he slowly pulled the fingers out, much to Mao’s dismay, and almost immediately, he positioned himself in between the man’s legs, not without using his wet fingers to stroke himself. The condom he’d picked was already lubricated enough, but one was never too sure. He would never forgive himself if he hurt Mao, even if hornyness was clouding the judgement of both men. 

Mao knew that if he dared looking at the other preparing himself, he would feel something inside of him snap, so he chose to pull his arm over his eyes. As the sheriff laid there, breathlessly, the cyborg bit his lip and kept himself steady by holding Mao by his waist. 

“H-Here I go, Mao.” He warned first, holding his erection with his robotic hand and slowly pressing the tip against his partner’s entrance, which was bearable enough at first. Mao felt himself fighting against the urge to just plunge himself down. But when the bigger of the two finally began sliding himself in, the cat felt a violent shiver shake his body to his core. He’d seen it, yes, it was big, but he didn’t take into consideration how that would feel inside him aside from fantasies. 

Badgerclops wasn’t even halfway in, and he already felt full out of his mind, and he made sure to make this clear, because the more he pushed himself in, the louder he became. He didn’t think he could take any more. 

The cyborg even hesitated to keep going at first because of his lover’s reaction, but the way those warm walls tightened around his pulsing member made his breath hitch. It was becoming hard for him to concentrate like he would’ve wanted to. He kept going, slowly, carefully, and in a matter of seconds, he was all the way in. Once Mao’s behind and his shaft connected, he stopped moving and tried to lean over his partner so he could look at him without making the friction too strong. 

Despite having the other hovering over him, almost begging to make eye contact, Mao’s face remained hidden underneath his arm. His fists were clenched and his body couldn’t stop shaking. Tiny mewls and whines were the only noises he could make at the moment. 

Eventually, as he felt the badger’s eye still glued on him, he removed his arm and looked up. Somehow, he already looked fucked out. His eyes were glossy as if he was about to start crying, he was struggling to breathe and his mouth couldn’t stop watering as he looked for comfort into his lover’s beautiful blue eye. 

What he found was an orb full of love and appreciation, staring directly into his soul as a warm hand came up to cup his cheek and simply lay there, caressing soft fur. He swallowed nervously. Why did this big idiot make him feel so stupid in love? Why was he like this? He hated it so much, but he melted into the feeling. 

As he slowly adjusted to the size, he leaned his face into the other’s touch, eyes fluttering close again, but this time, it was out of the raw tenderness the other was making him feel. He felt… safe… 

The cat bit his lip, and slowly, he moved one of his paws so he would be cupping the back of cyborg’s hand, and as his little beans pressed against it, he tilted his head so he could bury his face into the palm, and press a kiss against it. All of this, he did with a genuine expression on his face. Not embarrassed, not hesitant, but eager to show this man that he was okay with this. With all of it. 

From his current position, he looked up only to find a wide eyed, flustered Badgerclops, to which he shot another look. This look was fierce, and decisive, and without having to use words (because he doubted he was able to speak right now), he told him everything he needed to know. 

And he was allowed to keep going. 

Badgerclops, nodding and fighting back the tightness in his chest that the moment of warmth produced, soon pulled his hand away from the man’s face and used it as leverage to hold his body up and so he would be able to comfortably move in and out of his lover. 

Gently, he took a deep breath and began pulling himself out. He could hear the cat grumbling in his discomfort, but he kept going until he felt about to pull out completely. He didn’t want that, so he stopped, and giving the other a peek so he could make sure he was okay, he pushed himself back in. His movements were smooth and he wasn't using too much force as to not overwhelm Mao, but he wasn’t really holding back either. 

From where he was positioned, he could get a good look at his partner, and he watched him roll his eyes back as he was impaled once more. He decided to keep going like this, thrusting carefully and allowing the other to take it all in at his own pace. Honestly, the tightness he provided and the sounds that both them and their own bodies pressing together were producing were too exhilarating. 

Mao Mao however, could care less about keeping a steady pace, because he was seen reaching his arms out again, as if demanding to be held by the other. Badgerclops stared at him for a few seconds. If he assumed that position, he would only go deeper into Mao, right…? How tempting did that sound? He gave right in, chuckling through breathless moans and leaning down to wrap his arms around his partner’s frame, holding him close. Consequently, Mao felt him slide all the way in once more and he felt his head spinning. His eyes rolled back unconsciously this time. In response, the whining cat wrapped his own arms tightly around Badgerclops’ neck and, hesitantly, began furiously thrusting his own hips to meet the cyborg’s. 

He couldn’t protest. It all felt so out of this world, so hot dogging good, the badger’s mind was too foggy, and it was set on pleasing his boyfriend, so accordingly, he began thrusting at the same pace Mao Mao had set, their hips meeting every single time in a loud, deafening smack that they both shamelessly relished in. 

Mao Mao was a mess, again. The heat that had been pooling into his body throughout the entire day was finally being eased and the bliss he was feeling was honestly impossible to describe. He was moaning, gasping for air, almost screaming, and even though it was very difficult to make out what he was saying, one thing came out clear. His lover’s name, and him begging for more. 

And oh, did he give him more. 

The badger began pressing kisses to the sides of Mao’s face, then his ears, while the cat kept his face buried deep inside of his chest area. His noises were coming out all muffled but that made it all more adorable. 

He picked up the pace, making Mao lose track of what was happening as he overpowered him and his movements became fast and rough, impaling him deliciously every single time. He couldn’t catch up at this point, but so intense was his satisfaction that he honestly didn’t care anymore. He wanted everything Badgerclops could give him and more.

And they held onto each other as they both eagerly melted into each other’s desperate movements. It wasn’t very long before Mao felt uncomfortable again, an overwhelming heat pooling in his stomach very suddenly and making him grunt as he began basically throwing himself down into his partner’s organ so he could make the feeling go away, the way he quickly took control of the situation was overwhelming, even for Badgerclops, and as he was met with the other’s overpowering hips and a very particular thrust that went deeper than the others and hit all his most sensitive nerves, Mao felt himself move his head away from the other’s chest so he could cry out his name free of constraints as he inevitably reached sweet release. 

This caused Badgerclops to suddenly stop what he was doing, because the more he kept thrusting, the more Mao Mao complained and whimpered. So he stayed still, still holding him close. His eye was wide in disbelief. 

“D-Dude…” 

“Wh… wha… g-ghh… what…” 

“Did y-you just cum…?

“I-I… I th-think… I think s-so…” 

“I-I uh… aw, man, I was so close…” 

Mao Mao gave a weak smile, unable to hold back the small chuckle that he followed it with when he buried his claws into his partner’s back, as if preparing himself. 

“K-K… Keep g-goin’... I-I can take i-it…” He whispered, nuzzling his snout into the side of his head. Badgerclops felt hesitant for a moment, but in response to this, Mao Mao began moving himself, rolling his hips and thrusting himself down at a reasonable pace where he wouldn’t feel too overwhelmed but Badgerclops could feel good at the same time. 

The cyborg hadn’t lied, because it only took a few more bucks into the warm tightness of his lover to make him cum as well, and he let Mao Mao know by pressing his forehead against the side of his neck and letting out a gentle cry as he rode out his own climax. 

The two men fell back against the bed once they were done, the bigger of the two making sure that they were both lying on their side so he wouldn’t crush the cat’s small frame under his weight and so he could take a good look at his face, which he immediately began caressing and petting in an attempt to comfort him. 

He hadn’t pulled out yet, but he wanted to give Mao time to breathe.

Nothing but silence and the sound of their breathing filled the room, and it took the cat a few more minutes to recover while the badger simply relished in the warm feeling that danced around in his chest the more he stared at him. 

When he finally regained a sense of reality, somewhat, the cat’s eyes suddenly widened as he was met with his partner’s loving gaze. _Curse him_. He wished he could run and hide right now but he was sure his legs would give up on him if he even dared to jump off of his dick and try to run.

Now he was stuck here. 

In silence.

Staring into his boyfriend’s dumb, beautiful face.

And there was just one thing left to do, because if he didn’t do it now, he knew it would haunt him forever.

 _He had to talk_.

“I-I’m sorry…” 

Damn it, he _had_ to stutter, didn’t he?

Badgerclops, who at this point had literally gotten lost into the cat’s intense, green pupils, perked up a little and looked at him as if he had been accused of eating the last piece of cobbler.

“Huh? Wait… what are you apologizing for?” 

“For not telling you before… about all this… it probably took you all by surprise… it’s just… so embarrassing…” 

“Do you want to elaborate on that?” He knew that talking about his feelings always did Mao good, despite how often he avoided doing it. He always appreciated the short lived moments where they would both sit down to talk about their insecurities. 

To Mao Mao’s dismay, he had no way out of this one.

“I just…! Hot dog, I _hate_ having others see me reduced to a vulnerable, dumb loser because nature decides to be a jerk once a year… I usually have control over the things that happen in my life, and it feels so damn good! I know who I am, and baby, Mao Mao is one hell of a hero!” He said with a confident smirk on his features. “But this is something I _can’t_ control, and it numbs all my ability to think about important things… it makes me extremely sensitive to everything, emotional and so _damn_ hot, it’s so stupid and pointless. It always makes me doubt my true ability to become a legend because I might be the only feline in the entire world who behaves like a house cat whenever the season begins…” 

Badgerclops looked deep in thought, but he made sure to let the other know he’d been listening by nodding. 

“How long has this been happening…?”

“Uh… I dunno, man. I’d say it starts midway through puberty for a lot of us.” 

“And how long have we known each other?”

“Haven’t we been fighting crime together for like, five years…? What are you asking all this for-?”

“Apapapa-- lemme finish.”

Mao Mao scoffed.

“Tell me, how did you manage to keep this hidden for so many years? Like, how did you take care of it? I’ve never seen you in this state, not once, since we met.” 

“Well, uh… didn’t you notice that whenever the season was about to begin I would either recluse myself in my room because “I needed time to recover from a wound.” or I’d leave the house for a “spiritual meeting with my ancestors”...?” 

“Oh…”

“Yeah… I usually didn’t take care of it, I, honest to Snugglemagne, just trained a lot, went off on personal adventures, set up objectives and quests for myself to keep my mind off of it. This year felt different because we always have so many things to do to keep Pure Heart Valley safe, so I thought I would do good, I even offered to help set up the festival so I would keep my mind even more occupied, but having you around, knowing that we were finally a thing, felt so unbearable to me, I was stubborn and I gave in…” 

Badgerclops finally smiled, proudly, reaching out to ruffle the fur resting atop of the cat’s head, causing him to frown in response.

“That’s one hell of an endurance test if you ask me!” He chuckled. 

“Huh…?”

“Well, you say this is an obstacle for you, and I fully believe you. I can’t imagine how hard it must be, but the fact that you’ve been able to overcome it using pure will-power alone… I dunno if this means much, but in my honest opinion, I believe this just makes you even stronger and fiercer than you already are. I’m really amazed. You really _are_ one hell of a hero, and the strongest out there. I never doubted that, not even for a second.” The badger said, that dorky, dumb smile still drawn across his lips.

Mao Mao was staring at him in disbelief. He truly couldn’t find the words to describe how fast his heart was beating against his chest. It felt like it could burst out of his ribcage any moment now.

Before he could even think of something to respond, the cyborg pressed a kiss against his forehead and carefully began pulling away, causing him to flinch and let out an uncomfortable whine as he was overcome with that feeling of emptiness. 

Stretching his back and hearing it crack, Badgerclops let out a pleased sigh. “This is gonna be one hell of a week… I honestly can’t wait!” He snorted, grabbing a water bottle for himself and tossing one at Mao Mao, which he barely managed to catch between his paws. “...it does last a week, right…?”

Just when he was getting up from the bed so he could pick up Mao Mao and take him to the bathroom, because the thought of them cleaning up and taking a bath together was making him all giddy, he heard a grumble escaping his partner’s lips.

“...ove you…” He mumbled the moment he was done chugging the entire bottle and looked off to a side so it was impossible to see his expression. 

Badgerclops smiled, a sly smile this time, as he crawled over to his feline partner and tried to seek his face, laughing under his breath.

“Excuse me…? I didn’t catch that, what did you say?” 

The sheriff _really_ wanted to hide now, but he was cornered, so all that was left was to look over at the other from the corner of his eye. He was shooting daggers at him with his glare, but Badgerclops couldn’t have felt more in love than he did at that moment, gawking at that adorable man.

“I said I love you, you big, giant, massive… dork…” 

The cyborg sighed happily, picking up his partner into his arms so he could walk him towards the bathroom. He wasn't done with his king treatment, now he wanted to clean him up and pamper him so he wouldn't wake up and yell at him because he was in pain the next morning.

“I love you too, Mao Mao Mao~” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they are gay, married and in love and they make my heart melt okay bye thanks for reading my self indulgent mess 🥺


End file.
